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May 20, 2019 Super Outbreak (Dixie)
The May 20, 2019 Super Outbreak, also known as the 2019 Super Outbreak, was one of the largest, costliest, and deadliest tornado outbreaks ever documented in the United States , occurring in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. The event was part of a larger tornado outbreak sequence that lasted from May 17th through May 30. States impacted included Arkansas , Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. In total, 200 tornadoes touched down in 24 hours across the Southern Great Plains. May 20th had been given a high risk convective outlook, centered over north Texas through southwest and central Oklahoma. This was the first high risk issued since May 18, 2017. The Storm Prediction Center issued a 45% chance of a significant tornado occurring in a 25 mile radius over central Oklahoma. This was the first instance of such a warning since April 27, 2011 in Alabama. Out of the 200 tornadoes, 41 of which were violent, an unprecedented amount. And 10 of which were rating EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the highest possible rating for damage. In total, 334 people were killed as a result of the outbreak as well as over 3,500 injured. Other fatalities have occurred due to other thunderstorm-related events such as straight-line winds, hail, flash flooding or lightning. The tornado outbreak set multiple records, including most violent tornadoes in a single day at 41. The previous record was held by the 1974 Super Outbreak at 30. This was also the second most active tornado day with 200 tornadoes being confirmed by the National Weather Service , only behind April 27, 2011 of the 2011 Super Outbreak with 219 tornadoes being confirmed on that day. The high fatality rate was in part due to the sheer speed of the tornadic storms, which were moving at times in excess of 60 miles per hour. This event was also one of the costliest tornado outbreaks and one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history (even after adjustments for inflation), with estimated total damages of $10.2 billion (2019 USD). List of tornadoes in the May 20, 2019 Super Outbreak See also: List of tornadoes in the May 20, 2019 Super Outbreak Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating Meteorological Synopsis Meteorological Setup On May 12th, meteorologists began monitoring an area in the Southern Great Plains for the possibility of severe weather. Over the next few days, signs of active weather for May 20th became more apparent with models agreeing that a tornado outbreak could occur over Texas and Oklahoma. By May 15th, confidence has increased to the point that the activation of spotters and emergency management may be needed for May 20th due to the high possibility of severe storms. Rapid cyclogenesis over southeastern Colorado would likely develop. By May 17th, the Storm Prediction Center was certain for the occurrence of a dangerous tornado outbreak. On the SPC Day 4 Outlook, wind fields were also impressively strong, with southwesterly 500 mb flow approaching 80 knots on top of 50 knot 850 mb southerly flow and 20-25 knot southeasterly surface winds. The overall result of these factors was an environment strongly supportive of severe storms. An initial discrete mode capable of all severe hazards, including tornadoes, was anticipated. If a discrete mode could be maintained, strong tornadoes would occur. Upscale growth was eventually expected, with a strong MCS then tracking eastward across Oklahoma and adjacent portions of southern Kansas and north Texas. On May 18th, a moderate convective outlook was issued by the SPC stating that the setup was indicative of a potentially significant severe weather event on Monday. May 19th’s outlook added that severe thunderstorms capable of all severe hazards, including strong tornadoes, are expected across portions of the southern Plains on Monday. On the morning of May 20, 2019, the SPC issued a high risk for severe weather across western and central Oklahoma and northwest Texas. This was the first high risk issued since My 18, 2017. The risk area included areas of Oklahoma that were affected by an EF5 tornado that devastated portions of Moore on the 6 year anniversary of that tornado. Many schools in the Oklahoma City and El Reno school districts responded by cancelling classes the day before. By midday, the SPC increased the risk of significant tornadoes in northern portions of the Texas Panhandle, southwestern and central Oklahoma (including Oklahoma City) from 30% to 45%. This was the first 45% significant tornado risk since April 27, 2011 during the 2011 Super Outbreak. Significant severe weather began early on May 20 during overnight hours and continued for the entire day. For all but 1 hour and 34 minutes, there was at least one severe thunderstorm/tornado warning in effect on May 20. For the first time since May 18, 2017, the SPC issued a high risk of severe weather for the Great Plains of the United States. Later that morning, the SPC even increased the probability for tornadoes to 45 percent, covering areas from the Texas panhandle through central and western Oklahoma. This is an extremely rare issuance exceeding the high risk standards, being the first case since April 27, 2011, part of the infamous 2011 Super Outbreak. Conditions became increasingly favorable for tornadoes during such an extreme tornado outbreak. Early Morning Supercells and Derecho During the early morning hours, a cold front with several embedded low pressure areas extended from southeast Colorado southwestward along the Texas/New Mexico border into the Southern Plains. An upper-level disturbance that had moved across the frontal boundary the previous evening sparked an area of thunderstorms that morphed into a squall line, which later became a derecho. This line of severe thunderstorms would produce unexpected extreme tornadic activity for this type of weather phenomenon during the morning of May 20. Early in the morning the squall line, packing straight-line winds and numerous embedded tornadoes, moved through southern Kansas, the panhandle of Texas, and into Oklahoma before proceeding to affect western Arkansas before ultimately dissipating. The line strengthened as it moved through Oklahoma, partially due to a high amount of low-level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and increasing wind shear. A majority of the tornadoes embedded in this initial squall line were weak, though several were strong and as such caused significant damage. The initial storms caused widespread power and telephone lineoutages across Oklahoma. This line of storms also caused some NOAA weather radio transmitter sites to stop functioning for the remainder of the day. Because of this, more than one million customers were without power and had no warning of any approaching tornadoes later that day. Afternoon Supercells The most violent supercells of the outbreak developed around midday in the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma and began tracking eastward. A widespread complex of supercell storms overspread the states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, and violent tornadoes began rapidly touching down as the evening progressed. Ten tornadoes were officially rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale that day, and another 31 were rated EF4. This marks only the third day in history (after April 3, 1974 and April 27, 2011) that there were more than two F5/EF5 tornadoes reported. Overview A statewide review by emergency management officials recorded 269 fatalities in Oklahoma, 28 of which were not tornado-related. Damage and power outages in the Oklahoma City area were so widespread that at one point over 850,000 people were out of power in and around the vicinity of Oklahoma City. The EF5 tornado that struck Bethany and Edmond eventually damaged main power lines that were the main power source for hundreds of thousands of people. These towers were the main supply of electrical power to much of Central Oklahoma and some were without power for three weeks. The Storm Prediction Center received 310 reports of tornadoes in the preceding 24 hours. 200 tornadoes touched down in the United States from midnight to midnight CDT (0500 – 0500 UTC). Of those 200 tornadoes, 82 touched down in Oklahoma, accounting for almost half of the tornadoes that touched down on May 20. On May 20 alone, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma issued 157 tornado warnings, 56 severe thunderstorm warnings, and 19 flash flood warnings. Notable Tornadoes Guymon, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Guymon, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) The first deadly and violent tornado of the outbreak was a long-tracked, EF4 wedge tornado that struck the small city of Guymon, Oklahoma, in the early morning hours around 12:15 UTC on May 20. A squall line with a few embedded supercells had moved into the Oklahoma panhandle. The tornado initially touched down just southeast of Goodwill, Oklahoma, causing EF0 to EF1 damage in open fields while snapping power lines. The tornado then rapidly intensified to EF4 strength as it neared Guymon. As the tornado struck the city, multiple homes were leveled. The tornado then caused major damage to the Guymon Municipal Airport, destroying 100% of the facility's aviation units. A car was lofted 600 yards away from its original location. The tornado continued to maintain EF4 strength as it continued to level homes on the west side of the city. A mobile home park was struck where all of the fatalities occurred for this tornado. An animal shelter was also leveled on the north side of Guymon. As the tornado continued into rural areas, it weakened to EF2 strength, leveling barns and snapping power lines. The tornado further weakened as it approached the Oklahoma/Kansas border. Soon after crossing the border, the tornado lifted. In all, 11 fatalities occurred in Guymon along its 33.7 mile path. Many residents claimed they were not awaken by the sirens before the tornado struck, possibly being the reason for many fatalities. The Guymon tornado was the first violent tornado, as well as the first fatal tornado in Texas County since records began in 1950. Wichita-Andover, Kansas Main article: 2019 Wichita-Andover, Kansas Tornado (Dixie) Rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, this wedge tornado tore through the suburbs of Wichita, Kansas, particularly the Southside of Wichita, and Andover, in the afternoon hours around 21:05 UTC on May 20. A line of supercells had begun to form from southeastern Kansas to the panhandle of Texas. The tornado initially touched down just southeast of Haysville, Kansas, causing EF0 to EF1 damage, causing minor damage to the roofs of houses in the Haysville area. The tornado then rapidly intensified to EF4 strength as it entered the Wichita metropolitan area. As the tornado struck the city, multiple homes and businesses were leveled. Neighborhoods in the South Area division were flattened, with some foundations partially swept away. The tornado then caused major damage to a plaza, where many restaurants, including a McDonalds, Burger King, and an Applebees were completely leveled. Trees in this area were also debarked, with some larger trees being thrown hundreds of yards away through homes. The tornado then continued to the eastern suburbs of Wichita, maintaining EF4 strength as it passed less than a mile from McConnell Air Force Base, which houses aviation units worth billions of dollars. At this time, the tornado made a direct hit on a mobile home park, obliterating 140 mobile homes. Had there not been a proper warning and a large storm shelter present for the area, the fatality rate would have been much higher. As the tornado entered Andover, it reached its peak intensity in wind speeds and width, leveling multiple homes as it continued to track northeast at a high speed. A large Costco Wholesale shopping center was almost completely leveled, along with a nearby plaza. As the tornado continued northeast, it remained an EF4, causing notable ground scouring northeast of Andover. The tornado also leveled five well-built farmhouses in this area. Multiple barns were also completely destroyed. West of Towanda , the tornado began to rapidly weaken, causing only minor damage to homes in this area, before roping out, just north of Towanda. A total of 23 fatalities occurred from this tornado, with 11 occurring in the South Area division of Wichita, and 12 occurring in Andover along its 32.1 mile path. This was the deadliest Kansas tornado since the F5 Udall tornado, which occurred on May 25, 1955, killing 80 people. This tornado also took a similar path to the infamous F5 Andover tornado, which occurred on April 26, 1991, killing 17 people. Weatherford, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Weatherford, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) This deadly and violent tornado of the outbreak was a long-tracked, EF4 wedge tornado that struck the small city of Weatherford, Oklahoma, in the afternoon hours around 21:45 UTC on May 20. A line of supercells had been pushing their way through Oklahoma. This particular renegade cell formed and rapidly intensified near Corn, Oklahoma, producing a tornado almost immediately. The tornado initially touched down just north of Corn, Oklahoma, causing EF0 to EF1 damage in open fields while snapping power lines. The tornado then began intensifying south of Weatherford to EF3 strength as it neared Weatherford. The tornado destroyed four farmhouses, with one poorly built being completely swept away. The tornado also damaged many wind turbines in this area. The tornado then struck Weatherford directly at EF4 strength, where multiple homes and businesses were leveled. Two churches were leveled, and a recreational center sustained major damage. Some surveys list this damage at EF5 strength, but because of lesser damage surrounding the recreational center, and some architectural flaws, the damage was rated EF4. Bleachers from a baseball field were found a few hundred yards from their original location. As the tornado continued northeast of the city, it rapidly weakened to EF1 strength, severely damaging barns and snapping power lines. The tornado further weakened and eventually lifted over Oklahoma state highway 58. A total of 10 fatalities occurred from this tornado, all of which were in Weatherford along its 17.4 mile path. Big Spring, Texas Main article: 2019 Big Spring, Texas Tornado (Dixie) . . . . . The tornado claimed 27 lives in Big Spring alone along its 73 mile path. It was the only fatal tornado to occur in Howard County since records began in 1950. It was also the deadliest Texas tornado since the F5 Jarrell tornado, which occurred on May 27, 1997, also killing 27 people. Bethany-Edmond, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Bethany-Edmond, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . The deadliest tornado of the outbreak caused 45 fatalities in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, with 14 occurring in Bethany, and 31 occurring in Edmond along its 37 mile path. This tornado was the deadliest tornado in the U.S. since the EF5 Joplin tornado, which occurred on May 22, 2011, killing 158 people in Missouri. It was also the deadliest Oklahoma tornado since the F5 Woodward tornado, which occurred on April 9, 1947, killing 114 people. This was the first of two deadly tornadoes which occurred in the Oklahoma City area, with the second tornado striking just two hours later at EF4 intensity, killing 36 more people. This metropolitan area is notorious for experiencing deadly tornadoes. Others including: 1960 F5, 1963 F3, 1970 F4, 1973 F4, 1973 F3, 1988 F1, 1999 F5, 1999 F2, 2010 EF4, 2010 EF4, 2011 EF5, 2011 EF4, 2013 EF4, 2013 EF5, 2013 EF3, 2020 EF4, and 2020 EF4. Ardmore, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Ardmore, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . 12 fatalities resulted from this tornado in Ardmore along its 42.2 mile path. Enid, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Enid, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . 13 fatalities resulted from this tornado in Enid along its 26.8 mile path. Snyder, Texas Main article: 2019 Snyder, Texas Tornado (Dixie) . . . . 11 fatalities occurred from this tornado. This tornado was also the longest tracked tornado of the outbreak, remaining on the ground for 81.5 miles for an hour and twenty minutes. Chickasha, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Chickasha, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . This tornado killed 16 people along its path through Chickasha as the tornado tracked 51.2 miles. The tornado tracked along a similar path to an EF4 tornado which occurred on May 24, 2011, killing one person. Sayre-Elk City, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Sayre-Elk City, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . This tornado killed 16 people along its path, killing 4 people in Sayre, and 12 people in Elk City, traveling 39.2 miles. Ada, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Ada, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . Along its path, the tornado caused a total of 28 fatalities, with 25 in the Ada area, 1 in Roff, 1 in Byng, and 1 in Konawa over 38.8 miles. Mustang-Bethany, Oklahoma Main article: 2019 Mustang-Bethany, Oklahoma Tornado (Dixie) . . . . The second of the two violent tornadoes to strike the Oklahoma City metropolitan area killed a total of 36 people, including 17 in Mustang, and 19 in Bethany along a 26 mile path. Bethany was previously struck by an EF5 tornado which had killed people in the community earlier on the same day. On only one other occasion had two violent tornadoes caused EF4+ damage to the same community on the same day, being the two Tanner, Alabama tornadoes which struck the town 30 minutes apart on April 3, 1974 during the 1974 Super Outbreak. Non-Tornadic Effects Aside from the unprecedented number of tornadoes associated with this particular weather system, during the early morning hours of May 20th, a derecho with some embedded supercells pushed from southeastern Colorado, through Oklahoma, to Arkansas. During its passage through Oklahoma, winds consistently gusted around 90 miles per hour in many locations. The highest recorded wind gust was recorded at 114 miles per hour at the Chickasha Municipal Airport. The derecho caused millions to lose power, causing many to have no warning for the storms that would cause devastation later that afternoon. There were 5 fatalities associated with straight-lined winds. The morning derecho is widely believed to be the reason for the high fatality rate during the tornado outbreak, along with the violent nature of many of these storms. Flooding also became a major concern for many areas in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas. The morning derecho and continuous training of supercells combined for a catastrophic flooding event. The hardest hit areas were along the Canadian and Arkansas rivers. In Oklahoma, many homes were flooded, and in some cases, homes along the Canadian River were swept away as the river banks eroded underneath their foundations. A total of 23 fatalities were related to flooding. All of which were in Oklahoma. The towns of Byng and Calvin along the Canadian River saw the worst effects of the flooding, where multiple homes were swept away along the river. 17 of the fatalities occurred in this area. Bridge Creek, OK saw 11.7 inches of rain in under 24 hours, the highest total of precipitation during the outbreak. Flooding also caused a major disaster when the Eufaula Dam of Lake Eufaula became completely overwhelmed by the flood waters, and failed. Due to active emergency officials in the towns down the Canadian River, citizens were evacuated before the dam failed, saving many lives. The town of Whitefield had 100% of their businesses and homes inundated by flood waters and were a complete loss. Only 2 fatalities occurred there because of the mandatory evacuations. Aftermath Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency in the state of Oklahoma on May 20, due to storm damage from severe thunderstorms earlier that day as well as forthcoming severe weather later that day which would become the costliest natural disaster in Oklahoma state history. States of emergency were also declared in Texas and Kansas because of the flooding, derecho, and tornadoes. Following the tornado outbreak on the morning of May 21, President Donald Trump granted a federal emergency declaration for the state of Oklahoma, giving federal assistance, including search and rescue assets, to the affected region. More than 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed to Oklahoma, assisting local and state first responders in search and rescue efforts. President Trump visited the affected areas of Oklahoma on May 22. By the morning of May 23, the Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency had confirmed at least 205 tornado-related fatalities in Oklahoma, eventually reaching its final death toll by June 17. See Also * List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks * List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes * 1974 Super Outbreak * 2011 Super Outbreak * May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence * May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence * May 2007 tornado outbreak * Tornado outbreak sequence of May 7–15, 2008 * Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 * Tornado outbreak of May 26–31, 2013 * Tornado outbreak sequence of May 5–10, 2015 * Tornado outbreak sequence of May 22–26, 2016 * Tornado outbreak sequence of May 15–20, 2017 * Tornado outbreak sequence of May 17-30, 2019 Category:Outbreaks Category:Deadly Tornadoes Category:Deadly Outbreaks Category:Catastrophic Tornadoes Category:Catastrophic Outbreaks Category:Costly Tornadoes Category:Costly Outbreaks Category:Violent Tornadoes Category:Violent Outbreaks Category:Super Outbreaks Category:Dixie's Tornadoes Category:Dixie's Tornado Outbreaks Category:Tornadoes Category:F4/EF4 Tornadoes Category:F5/EF5 Tornadoes Category:Arkansas Tornadoes Category:Kansas Tornadoes Category:Missouri Tornadoes Category:New Mexico Tornadoes Category:Oklahoma Tornadoes Category:Texas Tornadoes Category:Tornadoes of 2019